Shoot me, Asuka!
by buicious
Summary: The Rough Draft to "Eva Music Makers"
1. Beginning

Whenever we ask ourselves what we want most, we often end up with what we need the least. So it was with Asuka on the occasion Misato asked her, "What do you want to do with your life?"  
  
Asuka paused. She'd never considered this question before.   
  
She stared around at the tables in the basement woodshop, covered with sawdust and cracking from age. Misato had been doing "a little project" underneath the house, and she hadn't let anyone else in on it.   
  
Asuka looked back at Misato, who was patiently waiting for the answer. In her day-to-day living, the only thing Asuka had ever given thought to was the question of surmounting the obstacles directly ahead of her, and projecting a self-image of strength for others to observe.  
  
She averted her eyes from Misato's eager, shining face.  
  
"Well, defeat my enemies. What else would I want?"  
  
Misato looked her over.   
  
"But the war with the Angels is over. After your unparalleled joint attack with Shinji on the 11th Angel, SEELE decided to abandon the instrumentality project out of fear that Shinji and you would discover their location and destroy them. Now NERV can't keep supporting You, Shinji, or Rei, and frankly, I don't have the cash to do it, either."  
  
Asuka snorted. "Tell me something I don't already know."   
  
She tossed her glossy red hair confidently. "I'm sure Hikari's family would take me in if I came to them and asked."  
  
Misato's eyes narrowed. "Would you come to them begging?"  
  
Asuka realized that she'd never thought of that. "No, absolutely not."  
  
"Well then, I've been thinking. Me, you, and Rei always used to sing the intros to the Evangelion episodes, and we were spectacular, according to the viewers, at least. You've finished college, Shinji's exempt from high school due to his hero status, and Rei's never going to have a real day job anyway, so why not…" Misato's voice trailed off.  
  
"Why not what?" Asuka leaned in impatiently.   
  
Misato smiled and lifted her arm gradually, slowly revealing a rough wooden object she'd been holding under the table. It had a roughly hewn wooden head, and…a neck…and…strings…and…frets….  
  
"Form a professional garage band?"  
  
Asuka's mouth gaped open.   
  
"A what??!?!?"  
  
"You heard me. A garage band."  
  
"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"  
  
Shinji was lying wide awake in the upper story bedroom, listening to some songs on his SDAT that Rei had downloaded for him. Ah, the wonderful Rei. Now that the missions were over, Rei sometimes stopped by to talk about the memories, and generally to annoy Asuka, who still called her "Wondergirl." Rei never really retaliated; she was just too peaceful.   
  
Asuka had been particularly harsh on Rei lately. Shinji didn't really know why. He had never understood Asuka to begin with, and she was even more mysterious now that they had no real mission. With the Eva missions having ended more than a year ago, Shinji had grown into "a more mature boy," as Misato put it. But Asuka? Same as always. Her outbursts went from bad to worse. Gray day? "Why are you sad, Shinji? You're ruining my day!"   
  
Problems with the penguin?   
  
"Shinji, why didn't you feed Pen pen? You didn't feed him, so he just ate the cookies Hikari made me!" And there was something else. He could hear her crying at night. Misato thought that it might be the effect of the Eva missions, but nothing truly traumatic had happened while fighting any of the twelve Angels. Shinji didn't want to meddle in her affairs, but when she felt sad, he played the cello for her, and she asked him to play for her often. But there were also outbursts that she denied she even had. Shinji also had no idea what motivated these.   
  
There was one particular incident in which Rei spilled coffee on Shinji's pants, and then quickly tried to rub it off with a towel, causing Shinji to flinch and Asuka to yell, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, WONDERGIRL??"  
  
Shinji had tried to defend Rei, but Asuka had just punched him.  
  
Then she yelled at Rei for being clumsy.   
  
Then she yelled at Misato…for something. He didn't remember.  
  
Afterwards, when asked why she flamed up so suddenly, she replied, with her nose upturned, "It was a shameful waste of perfectly good coffee." Shinji had almost felt hurt that she didn't even give thought to the degrading injury he'd received, but he was surprised to find that his only lasting impression from this incident was the notion that she looked quite cute with an upturned nose.   
  
He jumped out of his bed as a scream from the basement jolted him back to reality.   
  
"Misato-she-Misato-" Asuka came in running, hauling a roughly carved wooden instrument she had cracked in half.   
  
She bent over, slapping the ground hard and yelling in frustration. Tears streamed from her eyes, soiling Shinji's well-kept rug. Shinji wanted to tell her about the rug problem, but he was so shocked that he merely watched.  
  
Grabbing him by the shirt, Asuka planted her wet face on his recently obtained stomach. She mumbled a few words he couldn't decipher.  
  
Shinji merely stood there.   
  
Finally, he said, "Asuka, are you okay?"  
  
"Misato-she-Trying to make us her slaves!!"  
  
She was crying, but her sobs contained more anger than sorrow.  
  
"I see."  
  
"No you don't, you don't have any idea! You're just a BAKA, a stupid, stupid BAKA!"  
  
"Oh.." Shinij said. "She told you about the garage band idea-"  
  
"WHAT????!?!? She told you FIRST?!?"  
  
Moments later, Misato burst into the room, carrying tissues in both hands.  
  
Seeing Asuka, she gave a look of mock-surpise, then Shinji an accusatory glare.  
  
"What did you do to her, SHINJI?"  
  
"She-I-"  
  
"I want you to tell me what you did RIGHT NOW!"  
  
"She ran in-cried-"  
  
"You're not making sense, Shinji!"  
  
Asuka turned around, her face red, eyes wild, and pointed a condemning finger at Misato.  
  
"She's trying to make us her slaves!"  
  
"Shinji, what did you tell her? Are you trying to turn my precious against me?" Misato demanded.  
  
"I didn't say anything. She said something about the ba-"  
  
"SHINJI!" Misato quickly broke in. "If you can't account for her behavior in five seconds, I'm grounding you for the rest of your life. No talking to Rei anymore!"  
  
"She said you made-"  
  
Asuka wailed afresh, sobbing as she said, "Misato's trying to-"  
  
"FIVE SECONDS!" Misato yelled, a strangely desperate look in her face.  
  
"She said that you-"  
  
Misato did a double-take. "Me? This is YOUR fault! What did you do?!?"  
  
"I didn't-"  
  
"FIVE SECONDS!"  
  
Shinji panicked. How could he survive without Rei? Secondly, what was going on? He glanced at Asuka. She looked like she was trying to say something to him, but it was heard to hear her through the sobs.   
  
She managed, "It's not you, it's Mi-"  
  
"FOUR!"  
  
"Stupid Misato-"  
  
"THREE!"  
  
"Shinji, Don't let her make-"  
  
"TWO!"  
  
"Misato watch your back!"  
  
"ONE!"  
  
"Ok, ok!!" Shinji wildly searched his mind for an idea-any idea. He remembered a romance book which featured a red head with a wild temper. Perhaps Asuka had the same predicament.  
  
"Asuka-Asuka felt sad about not having fun things to do anymore. She wanted to be a bar lady, but I discouraged her from becoming a bar lady because she'd be sacrificing herself her body for the satisfaction of others. She said she loves children, but she thinks you won't support her if she wants to have children, so you're forcing her to become your bar's new bar lady, and now she has to become a bar lady to support her new baby-"  
  
SLAP!  
  
Shinji fell to the ground, shocked. What had gone wrong? The book's Asuka hadn't gone around slapping her comrades.  
  
Asuka wailed even harder. "You're all against me! I can't stand being around any of you!"  
  
Misato opened her mouth and roared. "That's enough! Shinji, you're an idiot! Stop harassing Asuka at once!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"I won't hear it! If I hear another cry from Asuka, you are-"  
  
Asuka opened her mouth.  
  
"IT'S MISATO!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Shinji ran.   
  
Two hours later…  
  
Asuka walked in, a bit red and tired from her crying. She looked at Shinji, trying to gauge his feelings. Shinji looked back, and some of the sympathy he felt showed in his face.   
  
Asuka approached him.  
  
"Shinji, I'm sorry if I made an idiot of myself earlier. I was so shocked by the news Misato gave me that I took all my anger out on you."  
  
She looked sheepishly at the floor. "I'm sorry if I ruined the carpet. Or your shirt."  
  
Shinji was strangely moved by her words, so he looked away at the window to avoid her warm gaze. He tried to say something, but he couldn't think. Asuka had that effect on him, somehow.  
  
Asuka made circles on the floor with her feet. "Uh, Shinji, how come she told you about the band idea first? Are you supposed to be the leader?"  
  
Shinji blushed.   
  
"Actually, the band was my idea, so-"  
  
"BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Shinji floated out the window in slow motion. Outside, an old man on his morning walk turned to see a teenage boy shoot straight through the window, parallel to the pavement. A girl could be heard sobbing loudly, accompanied by the loud yells of a 30-year old woman. The old man looked at the sun, then at the boy, who had landed in a thorny bush. This was going to be a long day. 


	2. Early Morning Frolic

The next day…  
  
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING! Hey Baka! It's time to wake up! I've forgiven you, so let's have some fun!"  
  
Shinji sighed. "What…" he groaned and looked at the clock. The birds weren't even out yet.  
  
"It's 6 am, Asuka-"  
  
"DON'T Asuka me! It's time to play!"  
  
"What? Play wha-OUCH! Don't touch the thorns!"  
  
"OH…sorry…"   
  
Instead, Asuka grabbed him by the hand and pulled him off the bed. Still in his boxers, Shinji shivered in the cold morning air. She proceeded to drag him through the house. Near Misato's door, she whispered, "This is where you have to go tiptoe. Misato's wasted from the 24-pack last night, but she's got hearing like no other." Asuka then led the way into the garden, which now incorporated the plot of the next door house, which had been bull-dozered to make room for an expanded garden.   
  
Shinji looked around the garden. Nothing new here.  
  
"Alright, Asuka, what is it?"  
  
"Misato told us to develop an acute sense of hearing for our musical training, so I thought up this game!"  
  
"I thought you didn't like the band idea-"  
  
"Well, since everyone else forced me into it, I'm going to be the best…and each of you has to be up to par, too!"  
  
Shinji yawned and rubbed his eyes. Wasn't Asuka always the one to wake up last? Why wasn't Rei here?  
  
"But why are we doing this outside?" he asked.  
  
"Why? Cause it's my idea to do it outside, of course!"  
  
"Why are you up so early?"  
  
"Cause it was such a good idea, I couldn't go back to sleep! Aren't you glad I'm sharing this with you?"  
  
"How's this going to help us play music better?"  
  
"Don't ask stupid questions! Besides, we're going to have fun!"  
  
"Okay, okay."  
  
Shinji was shivering like a weasel. If weasels did shiver, that is.  
  
"Now, go over there and count to 20. You're going to have to find me in the dark just by the sound of my footsteps-"  
  
"How am I-"  
  
"Just do it!"  
  
"Asuka, I'm not a bat!"  
  
"BAKA!" Asuka said as she slapped him on the back of his head.  
  
Shinji turned to face her angrily, but he was surprised to see her smiling sweetly. Or at least that's what it looked like in the dark.  
  
"Do we really have to do this?" he asked.  
  
"Of course not. But if you do, Shinji, you will have fun with me."  
  
Shinji was speechless. He wanted to play, but he was also hungry.   
  
"Asuka, don't you want to eat?"  
  
"Sure I do. After you find me." She pushed at the ground with her foot.  
  
"Count to 20! AND don't peek!"  
  
She turned to run.  
  
Shinji watched as Asuka bounded off happily to the left side of the garden. What had gotten in to her? He closed his eyes, counted to 20 loudly, then took a slow stroll through the garden. He looked at the ground. Asuka was probably hiding down there somewhere. Although the garden wasn't very large, it had underground rooms filled with trees-most likely serving as other laboratories for Misato's crazy experiments. Shinji knew that if he came down there too soon, Asuka might be disappointed at being found so fast. Shinji was always the best at finding, because he was so systematic. Nothing escaped his eye. Sooner or later, if he searched carefully enough, the hidden person would be found. It was impossible to escape him indefinitely.   
  
Unable to decide what to do, he stared up at the dimming stars. In a few minutes, the sun would begin to rise, and the stars would be wiped off the heavenly slate, totally outshone until the demise of the day. He remembered how much Asuka liked the stars. Shinji didn't like them at all. All the empty space made him lonely. Sure, they were blue and beautiful, but they were so separated, so far. He loved the sunrise, though. Its light touched everything. It had warmth.   
  
Suddenly he felt like abandoning the search. It was futile to look for her. What was the meaning of searching for a person who was always by your side? But then, if she evaded him too long, he'd never hear the last of her gloating. He couldn't let her do that.   
  
He set off to the underground tunnel. The door was moldy and slippery, but it opened easily. The damp air of the tunnel tickled his nostrils. This was the tunnel Asuka had discovered a year ago when Misato had gone "AWOL" from NERV for a whole week. Misato had been chained to the wall at the very back, a prisoner of Gendo's treachery. He wanted custody of the children, but Misato persistently defied him. Asuka had eventually freed Misato and exposed Gendo to the police. After that, their lives were more peaceful and normal, or about as normal as life around Asuka could be.   
  
After that incident, they called it Asuka's tunnel. She was really proud of it, and together, the three pilots had explored every nook of its interior. Presently, he entered it and felt his way around. The tunnel only had three unlocked rooms. She had to be in one of those.   
  
He looked around. It was dark, except for traces of shiny pink granite that glinted in the dim light. He felt his way to the end of the corridor and turned right. He was confident that her red hair would easily stand out among all the drab surroundings, and he knew that she was too fidgety to stand silently. But she wasn't in the first two rooms. Approaching the third, he glanced behind his back to re-check the forked passage. Nothing. The floor of the third room was really wet and slippery. What if Asuka hurt herself in here?   
  
Wait-There! A slight rustle. Wait-a door-leading to another room? The lock had been broken.  
  
He walked through the door and peered inside. His mouth dropped open. It was even more humid in this room. Trees and ferns of every kind covered the ground. To make his task even harder, birds chirped and animals chased each other in playful circles. Great. Asuka could be anywhere in this jungle.  
  
He walked to the middle of the room and looked up. The wild brown sky glowed above, sparkling with gems. She couldn't be up there. He looked left. A wild tiger! That was bad news. To the right-An elephant! He darted through the bushes as fast as his legs could take him. Suddenly the ground collapsed beneath him, and he found himself waist deep in a hot spring. That might have been nice, only the spring contained extremely hot green water. It scorched his skin, and as he struggled to get out, he suddenly spotted Asuka. She was far away, waving with her hands and smiling. What was she smiling about? He was about to die in this miserable pool.   
  
"Asuka!" he yelled. "Help me! Why are you standing there?"  
  
Asuka continued smiling. She blew him a gentle kiss. He couldn't believe she was just standing there. Desperate, he tried running after her. He suddenly found that he could run much, much faster. He reached her in five seconds.  
  
"Hello, Shinji," she said softly. "Like my outfit?"  
  
She was wearing a bikini of tropical leaves. DA-AAM…Why hadn't he noticed that before?   
  
  
  
"I'm bored. Do you want to spin me around, Shinji?"  
  
"Why, sure, darling," he said with a deep, masculine voice. "Anything you want."  
  
He put one arm behind her back, the other under her legs, and spun her. Faster…and faster. The world blurred around them.   
  
He continued to spin, but he didn't feel all that dizzy. Asuka howled with delight, even though she was probably dizzy out of her mind. A few minutes into it, he felt nauseous, but a satisfying bliss filled his mind.   
  
He stopped swirling her and kissed her on the forehead. She moaned lightly and smiled.   
  
"Shinji, let's stay like this forever."  
  
He would have been more than glad to oblige, but suddenly a blinding light entered the tunnel. He couldn't see her anymore. He reached out for her, crying for her to stay. He couldn't see-what was this? Gray ceiling? Hard bed? Where was he?   
  
"WAKE UP, SLEEPY HEAD!" Misato yelled.   
  
Shinji looked up, saw Misato, and slapped his forehead. The dreams he'd been having… 


	3. Getting on the same note

Note: Please don't take offense if I pick on any character(s). But I think you all can take it in good humor.   
  
Chapter 4: Getting on the same note  
  
Morning at the Katsuragi Residence…  
  
Bang! Twang! BUMBABUM! THUMP! GROWL! Crack! Splinter! SMASH! EEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA….EEEEEEEEEEEEKKK! STOMP STOMP SLAP!   
  
Asuka practicing guitar in the basement. Rei casually observed the intonation of Asuka's "notes." Sounded more like the drums to Rei.   
  
  
  
Outside, a bird sang beautifully. Unfortunately, it could not be captured and made to work (by Misato), or else it would have undoubtedly been chosen as lead singer.   
  
One floor up, Shinji let the reverb from his cello echo through the room after pulling off a lush, 12-second bass string bow-stroke.   
  
Misato stood there with her mouth wide open. "Wow, Shinji! That was amazing! You never missed a note! OR a beat! You'll be an awesome bassist in our band!"  
  
"Uh, bassist?" Shinji was confused.   
  
Misato gave him a queer look.   
  
"Of course? What'd you expect?"  
  
"Uh……………..cello player?"  
  
"NO, no, Ritsuko will be covering the cello for you. You need a more uptight, hip, get-freaky electro-static down-low-in-your-face sound. That's the Bass. Ok?"  
  
"Ok…"   
  
Spineless as USUAL, thought Misato.  
  
LAZY AND BOSSY, as USUAL, thought Shinji.   
  
Misato had initially volunteered for the bass, citing her reason as something about low sounds attracting men. But when she learned that she'd have to cut her nails to be able to press the frets down, her enthusiasm dropped at an exponential rate. Shinji knew it was only a matter of time before she handed down this "enormous responsibility" to someone else. Oh, well, Shinji thought. The bass would come pretty easy. A Cello was just an unfretted, upright bass. And since bass and guitar were relatives, he could get tips from Asuka as well. That is, if Asuka had anything of value to give.   
  
Putting down his Cello, Shinji walked into the basement, trying to find Asuka. Fortunately for him, she was in the final stages of her "Frightening Tempest of Frustration," and she regarded Shinji with a neutral look when he appeared from the stairs.   
  
"Shinji, can you help me with this? How do you hold it?"  
  
"Sure. Can you hand me the guitar?"  
  
"No no! Come over here and show me."  
  
Shinji sat down at the seat adjacent Asuka and beckoned for the guitar.  
  
"You put it in your lap-" Shinji was stopped short as Asuka moved BOTH herself and the guitar into his lap.  
  
"And hold it like this?"  
  
Shinji turned the color of his lap-companion's hair. Which way did one hold a guitar, anyway?  
  
"SHINJI!"  
  
"Wha-what…"  
  
"What was that!??"  
  
"I dunno.."  
  
"Your lap is hot!"  
  
"S-sorry…"  
  
"Geez…now I need a cold glass of ice water!!"  
  
"Oh-oh k….Can you…stand up?"  
  
"OH." Asuka stood up, then preened. "Sorry about that."  
  
Shinji ran for the stairs.  
  
Two hours later…  
  
"Asuka! You're tone-deaf!"  
  
"I am not! Misato, which fret is C?"  
  
Misato groaned. "Look, if you had a little drink, it'd all be a great deal easier."  
  
"I am not drinking your filthy beer!"  
  
"All I'm saying is, like the art of drunken boxing, the art of drunken instrumentalism also once existed as a form of entertainment and, well, art. *BURP!* Using alcohol as the catalyst for the emotional pathways of the soul, an artist could, in the deep haze of a beer-induced buzz, let rip the craziest riffs ever conceived! Like this! *bURP burp burp burp burp…BURP BURP!* *FART*"  
  
"Very funny, Misato…"  
  
Asuka stared at Misato. Misato stared back.  
  
Misato peered more closely at Asuka, then whipped her head around.  
  
"SHINJI!"  
  
Shinji looked out from his room.   
  
He sighed.  
  
"Are you hot again?"  
  
"When am I not?"  
  
"You want wat-"  
  
Misato grinned. "Yes, honey."  
  
"Ok…" 


	4. The first great practice

The first great practice  
  
"Hey Shinji, what kind of music do you like?"  
  
"Oh. Classical, of course. How about you?"  
  
"ROCK, BABY! ROCK AND RAP!"  
  
"Well…they're a bit too loud-"  
  
"ROCK AND RAP! ROCK AND RAP! ROCK AND RAP!"  
  
"Ok, Asuka…"  
  
Asuka looked over at Rei, who had retired to the sofa and made herself a statue for the last two hours.   
  
"Rei, what kind of music do you listen to?"  
  
"Caribbean funk. Space music. The drum solos of Buddy Rich, and, most especially-"  
  
"Oh…that's interesting," Asuka interjected.   
  
What the hell were her fellow band members listening to?  
  
"Asuka."   
  
It was Shinji.  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"Perhaps we'd be best off combining styles from our diverse backgrounds, instead of sticking to one genre, or arguing about which one to use."  
  
"Silly Shinji. Rap and Rock are the only genres that truly matter."  
  
"I beg to differ," Rei said, speaking for both Shinji and herself.   
  
"Space music is one of the most sophisticated genres available, combining mystic, otherworldly sounds with the familiar, solid instrumental sounds, which churn the emotions of an individual to induce a surge of ecstasy."   
  
"Did you hear that, Asuka? It's pleasure-inducing!" Misato cried.  
  
How'd she hear that from upstairs? Asuka wondered.  
  
"More like pain inducing," Asuka scoffed. "Who'd want to play outer-space music, anyway?"  
  
"Pioneering musicians. David galebroth whobroth (Asuka's-eyes-go-roll-roll), Eemie Heemie, John wil-"  
  
"Okay, shut up."  
  
Shinji suddenly felt bad for Rei.  
  
"Asuka, be nice," he said.  
  
"Look, Baka, if you and the rest of the band are gonna desecrate the band with so-called pioneer's music, you're gonna do it over my dead body. My dead body. MY DEAD BODY."  
  
Shinji tried to imagine Asuka with a dead body. It wasn't a pleasant thought.  
  
All things considered, at least she was still hot.  
  
With a look of concern, Rei said, "I appreciate your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the sake of this band, but that is entirely unnecessary."  
  
  
  
Asuka groaned. "I'm not sacrificing myself! I'm sacrificing all of YOU!"   
  
Shinji flinched. They'd all nearly been sacrificed already for the dark motivations of SEELE and NERV, and, with a chance to start all over, they were being dragged into the same old process?  
  
"Asuka, I know you think that you deserve to be leader and the center stage of this band, but in a band, things never work that way. Everyone counts on each other to put the music out in the best possible way. If you're the leader, you should understand best of all that the leader depends on the members as much as they depend on him. Uh, her."  
  
"Yea? What about that old guy, John Mayer? He didn't need a backup band!"   
  
"Asuka, you don't have to shoot down your fellow members all the time," Misato said from the doorway. "They're here to help me form MY band, and as a matter of fact, so are you."  
  
Asuka glared at her.   
  
"Hey, Misato. I didn't know you were a part of our conversation."  
  
"I'm a part of every conversation," Misato said sweetly, holding up a wireless earpiece.  
  
All three went white in the face. SPYWARE? In THEIR HOUSE?  
  
"IT IS my house, after all," Misato said triumphantly. "There are microphones so tiny in every nook of this place, that'd you'd have to be Sherlock Holmes to find them all."  
  
Shinji fainted. Rei stared and stared. Asuka became even redder than she ordinarily was.  
  
"Fine then. I quit. Who wants to play a stupid guitar, anyway."  
  
Asuka stormed up the stairs.  
  
Two minutes later, Shinji came to, looked around, and ran upstairs after her.  
  
Rei and Misato looked at each other with looks of amusement.   
  
"Hey, Rei, would you like to see my new instrument?"  
  
Rei nodded.  
  
Misato walked over to the corner of the basement where Asuka had performed her rendition of Shakespeare's: "Angry woman."   
  
Misato pointed at the corner. "Take a look at this."  
  
Lifting the cloth covering, she revealed a glossy, black-red, brand-new DW drumset.   
  
Rei's mouth gaped open. A DW drumset?? How much had Misato spent on this?  
  
"All savings from the past two months," Misato boasted, reading Rei's mind. "I knew it was impossible to make a drum-set from wood-shavings, so I went to the music store and got you one. You know, when I buy clothes, I only get the best, cause I want them to last. I want you to last, Rei-I want you to be the best forever."  
  
Misato's eyes became misty.  
  
"I want you-and this drum- to become………………………………  
  
………………………………..drumroll…………………………………. LEGEND!"  
  
As it turned out, legend was everything Misato expected it to be. After her sudden flash of name-dubbing inspiration, Misato ran to the tool-box and pulled out a spray-can. Rei was on it even before Misato got back to the corner. And Misato was fast. Rei rubbed her palms against the soft, wooden drum-sticks, caressing them with great passion. THIS had been her dream. Her unspoken desire since youth immemorial. Her one and only purpose. She let her soul lead her into the land of music, the land from which all great musicians will never return. Crash! BADABANG! *BUM BUM* tshhh BUM tshh BUM BUM… Anyone could tell that Rei was in her element. She needed no prodding, no instruction, no accompaniment. The sounds of the birds outside, Asuka assaulting Shinji upstairs, Misato drooling, and the Air Conditioner humming all drowned in a black hole of silence beyond the thunderous flood of percussion sounds Rei hammered out in a rush of inexplicable, indescribable music. Not crashes, not bangs. Individual *BOOM*s and *ratatas* blended in a whirlpool that was as chaotic as it was beautiful. The world paused and observed. Even Shinji and Asuka fell silent. Misato fell to the floor. She wasn't even holding a can of beer.  
  
When Rei finished, the windows had come off their hinges. But no one in the house seemed to care. Misato, wiping blood from the back of her head, walked up to Rei and shook her hand fervently, continuously.  
  
Asuka had forgotten her own personal gripes against Shinji, and even Shinji wasn't too worried about his safety at the moment. Their own perceptions of music, of time, of space, of life, of death, and of…the BAND…had been shattered. Rei was the all time reigning drum goddess. Period.  
  
"Okay, we've got to take advantage of this. Now. Rei, take the drums. Wait, you're already on it. Shinji, the BASS! Asuka, LEAD GUITAR! I'll pretend to play the guitar and jump up and down while I sing! Quick, before Rei runs out of gas! GOGOGO!"  
  
I thought she was the drum goddess, Shinji thought wryly.  
  
Misato ran to a shelf and pushed a button. The whole room turned dark.   
  
"We need mystic inspiration," Misato explained.   
  
"Recorder on," a feminine computer-like voice said.  
  
"Okay! LET'S….. PLAY!!!" 


	5. Fire away!

Chapter 5: Fire away  
  
Rei exploded in a fury of drums, while the rest of the band pressed random frets and hoped their efforts would pass for music.   
  
"Yeaaa!!!" sang Misato. "YEAAAA!!!"  
  
"YEAAAAAAAAA!!!"   
  
Shinji was confused. What were they playing? He turned towards Asuka, who was absorbed in a blissful state of chaos. Her fingers glided over the fret-board, and although they looked graceful, that's all they did-glide. Shinji couldn't hear a single note from her. On the other hand, his bass boomed with a solid bass rhythm, but he was confused about  
  
which fret stood for which note. Random notes permeated the air, confusing Misato, who tried to cover for the lack of melody with raucous screams of "YEAAAA!!!"  
  
Perhaps we could make it pass for jazz, he thought wryly. Rei pounded the drums, giving backup to Shinji's solid downbeat rhythm. They played this way for the first  
  
thirty minutes of their first great practice.   
  
What started with a rush of inspiration ended with Asuka yelling at Misato, who continued to reply with ever-louder "YEAAAAAAA"s and "OHHH YEAAAAAA"s,inciting Asuka to fall into a rage of emotion, popping all six strings on her guitar, which tickled Shinji so much that fell to the floor laughing. Asuka glared at Shinji menacingly, raising her guitar over her head and yelling incomprehensible German phrases. Once the "Shut-Up!!!!"s and "OH YEAAA"s drowned out the remaining percussion sounds, Rei gave up. Misato went to the fridge and took out a beer. This was the first great practice.  
  
After their vain attempt at accomplishing music, the members congregated around the dinner table upstairs to discuss their performance. My band members are far too uptight, Rei thought. They need to chill out. They need to get funky with the music, instead of getting funky with each other.   
  
Word, thought Shinji.  
  
Uber-word, thought Asuka.  
  
"Now," said Misato, "What went wrong?"  
  
"Shinji was trying to play jazz! I thought we were playing rock!" Asuka said while pointing at Shinji accusingly.  
  
"I couldn't hear Asuka at all!" Shinji yelled.   
  
"Shinji was just playing random stuff! How can you even call that music?" Asuka shot back.  
  
Rei sat quietly in her seat, waiting for her chance to talk.   
  
"May I say something?" she asked.  
  
Misato nodded.   
  
"I know that we all have you to thank for coming up with this idea, but in all seriousness, you rushed us into playing without even letting us coordinate. I did my own thing, and so did you, Shinji, and Asuka. No one was playing together. If we were solo artists, that might be okay, but in this band, we can't let our personal disharmonies become musical ones. Plus, we haven't even had that much training. I can count well, but I've never even practiced playing drums with a guitarist.   
  
"And Misato, have you practiced singing? Asuka, your fingers are nimble, but even when I leaned over and turned your amp way up, I couldn't hear you at all. Shinji, you've played cello all your life, so you can play along with my drums, but I think you need a more coherent melody; something that sounds like it's going somewhere."  
  
Everybody stood shocked. Not only had Rei spoken more words than she had ever previously spoken in her entire life, she was saying something extremely simple and useful. AND she had rocked the drums.   
  
Finally Misato spoke up.   
  
"Rei, if you had the same talent with a guitar, I would make you band leader. The only problem is, drums can't lead, can they?"  
  
"If the drummer has the ability to sing while playing," Rei replied, "He or she may lead, although this is very unorthodox."  
  
Misato whistled. Rei knew how to operate a band. Rei deserved the title of leader, not Asuka, with her "rock rage," or Shinji, with his artistic talent, or Misato, with her unbelievable craziness.   
  
"OOOK! I have decided!" Misato yelled, throwing her arms into the air.  
  
"Rei is the new band leader! No exceptions! No petitions! No complaints! GOOOOOOOOOO REI!"  
  
-----------------------  
  
Dinner at the fireplace. No electric lights, no TV, no warm dinner. Tokyo-3 and its unreliable generators.   
  
Candles illuminated the cozy room. No one spoke. All four inhabitants were bored. Asuka had tried roasting bits of raw chicken meat next to the fire earlier, but had nearly scorched her left hand.   
  
"Stop that!" Misato cried. "You'll need your fingers for the guitar!"  
  
"Guitar Shmitar," Asuka mumbled.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Mind your own business, Misato."  
  
Misato did. Rei stared at the ceiling, thinking about her identity. Shinji lay on the floor, contemplating the destiny of mankind and listening to "rock your body" on his SDAT. Perhaps they could incorporate their perspective of mankind's destiny into their music. What was mankind's destiny, anyways? How could people just wander around all day without giving thought to their eternal destiny? What would become of the multitudes of people who vanished from the earth? Why were people afraid of monsters, and why were the ugly ones called Angels?   
  
He was startled by a poke on his left shoulder.  
  
"Hey," Rei said. "Wanna start learning?"  
  
"Sure," Shinji replied.   
  
Asuka looked up eagerly.   
  
"Hey! Count me in, too!"   
  
"Not to mention the person who probably needs the most teaching," Misato said in between burps.  
  
"Okay, how are we supposed to learn?" asked Misato.  
  
"We've taken care of that," Asuka and Shinji said in unison.  
  
"What??" Both Rei and Misato said.  
  
"We went to the music shop this afternoon when you guys were sleeping from exhaustion," Asuka said proudly. "We got a bunch of music books. With a little practice and a lot of luck, we'll be the best rock band of the 21st century."  
  
Misato sighed. Were her very own kids going off to strange places without telling her? It made her sad to think that they'd grown up that fast.  
  
Shinji reached for the book on top, but out of nowhere, Rei quickly seized the books and threw them into the fire. No one moved for a second. Then Asuka moaned and Shinji collapsed backwards, as the room became enveloped with an intense orange glow.   
  
"Rei?" Shinji asked. "Why?"  
  
"I will teach you. These heretical books are nothing but a litter of blabber propagated by the kinds of worthless academians who label themselves virtuoso musicians. They are nothing in my eyes. A true musician doesn't learn through systems or processes. A true musicians finds the music in his own time, through his own process of discovery. This musician does have a complete knowledge of theory, but the basis of his musicianship is not grounded on this knowledge. It is based on his soul. By looking into his soul for the music he creates, he will produce a talent and a fire so much greater than anything pure knowledge can supply. Find your soul, and you will have found your music."  
  
Shinji had been stuck in the train station since the second sentence. Asuka whistled and started scratching her head.   
  
"That's obvious!" Misato said.  
  
"Let's start!" 


	6. A song's climax

"Girl: Have you watched Moulin Rouge?  
  
Boy: That was a ghetto movie, dude.  
  
(the factually inaccurate) Boy: Apparently she was sick as hell and she went into a coma during sex.   
  
Girl: Well then, he wasn't too good, was he?"  
  
-The life and times of UCSD freshmen, as witnessed by one Buicious.  
  
Chapter 6: A song's climax  
  
"Oh, Shinji, I'm not getting anything done. This is about as far as I can go right now."  
  
Asuka flopped on her back, sighed, and stared at the ceiling.  
  
Rei stared at the window. Shinji was half-awake.  
  
"Hey, Shinji," Rei suddenly said (after two hours of grueling practice had yielded yet another broken guitar, a palm-mark on Shinji's left cheek, and a knocked out Misato).   
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Isn't Asuka getting better?"  
  
Asuka had been playing through the first refrain of La Malaguena on the classical Misato built the night before. It had actually sounded decent. The guitar, that was.  
  
"I agree."  
  
Rei leaned in closer, causing Shinji to inch back reflexively.   
  
"Stop moving," she whispered.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I have to ask you something."  
  
"Ok," he said as softly as he could.  
  
"Have you been giving Asuka guitar lessons?"  
  
"It's only been two days, Rei."  
  
Rei pondered for half a second like only her deep mind could. "Yes, but she's gone from breaking a guitar, then yelling, to playing, and then breaking a guitar, and then yelling. That degree of resolve and commitment could only come from her."  
  
"I gave her a few pointers, but most of those only apply to the cello."  
  
Rei turned to see Asuka trying to pull a bow across the guitar strings.  
  
"True. But Shinji," Rei said a little louder, so that Shinji flinched from fear of Asuka being within earshot, "don't you think that she's reached her climax?"  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Perhaps she can't go any farther than she has already gone with you."  
  
"What makes you say that?"  
  
"Well, there's a special tome in the Dead Sea Scrolls that foretells the state of climax in simple terms," Rei said a bit louder. "All you must do is listen."  
  
Shinji did.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"SHHH! Listen!"  
  
…..  
  
……….  
  
"Oh Shinji…what are we gonna do now?" Asuka mumbled. "I don't think we can go any farther today. I'm going to take a nap now."  
  
Shinji couldn't make anything out of it. "I don't get it."  
  
"Well, I think I can help. Let me tell you the four basic types of climax. First, there's positive climax – 'Oh, yes!!' - Then there's the masculine climax –'Oh, man!!' - Then there's the the repetitive climax - 'Oh, oh!' ….then there's the fake climax- "Oh, Shinji!!"  
  
Rei burst out laughing, accompanied by a hysterical Asuka.  
  
Shinji turned to them in consternation.   
  
SHE HEARD THAT???  
  
As a life-long friend, Rei had always played tricks on him, but he could never face Asuka if she had actually heard it.  
  
Perhaps she was just pretending she heard it.   
  
Nope.  
  
He flushed a deep red, and, with nothing else to do, ran from the room, but behind him came the energetic cries of two ladies giddily, unmercifully uttering a seemingly never ending chorus of "OH, Shinji!!!"  
  
Meanwhile, Misato was in the kitchen, feeding Pen-pen.  
  
"Oh, those kids," she muttered. "I'm going to have to teach them to be nicer to Shinji. Climax, indeed. I bet he could really give Asuka a run for her money if he tried."  
  
Pen-pen gave no indication of hearing this speech. He merely nodded and nibbled at his fish-meat.   
  
"Hey pen-pen…we don't have a brass section in our band. Can you do anything nice with your beak?  
  
"AERHHHH AERHHHHH… quibble qwueeek!"  
  
"Nice, Pen-pen. Can you hit high C?"  
  
"AERHHh…eeeeeeehhh!"  
  
"Almost there. Just keep working on it. Here's Beethoven's Pathetique. It's a basic exercise you can work on in your free time to fine-tune your beak."  
  
*Nice,* thought Misato. *Now we don't need a saxophone or a trumpet*  
  
Misato turned as Asuka strode in confidently.  
  
She pointed to the red head. "Hey, where's your sex-slave?"   
  
"Huh? Who?"  
  
"Isn't Shinji always next to you?"  
  
-Tokyo 3, 00800 Hours.   
  
"A nuclear device, designated "Scarlet Fury," commonly referred to as the red-head with kawaii, was set to explode upon ignition of the 2mm fuse. At the mention of an offensive, innuendo-crammed comment, said device lit and exploded with 10000000000000000000000000000000000000 times the force of a conventional warhead. The explosion rocked the lower sector of post second-impact Japan and laid waste to all rebuilding efforts sustained in 12 years of arduous reconstruction work. -  
  
That is all the news for now. I need to visit the dentist to replace my old set of dentures. This is TNDJFSDKJ News. Good day."  
  
-------------  
  
"Hey, Shinji." Dark. Eyes on the grey ceiling, Asuka shifted in her futon.   
  
"Isn't it funny how we're sleeping over here, and Rei's sleeping over there?"  
  
She pointed to the other corner of the room.  
  
"Well," Shinji replied, "She likes the solitude."  
  
"Hey Shinji."  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"How long have you known Rei?"  
  
"All my life."  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"She's my closest friend."  
  
"But how come you two never talk?"  
  
"I don't know. I think I can feel her, sometimes. Like she's a part of me. I guess we're just satisfied when we meet each other, so there's no need to settle anything."  
  
"Is that what it's all about, Shinji?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Talking. People only want to talk because they want to settle something."  
  
"Well, if we didn't have to settle anything, we'd all be the same. I imagine it'd be an awfully dull world."  
  
"Hmmm. Darn! I forgot something!"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Hey Shinji, did you buy milk at the market yesterday?"  
  
"That's where I'm planning to get it, unless you want to start contributing."  
  
To his surprise, Asuka merely giggled.  
  
"Don't exempt yourself either," she whispered.  
  
"Hey Shinji."  
  
"Yea?"  
  
My, was she talkative.  
  
"I have something to settle with you, Shinji."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"A guitar duel. Now."  
  
"Won't it wake up Misato?"  
  
"In the safe-room-basement. The door's practically 2 feet thick."  
  
Shinji sighed. He knew this was coming.  
  
Silently, the two crept through the house and down into the room originally meant as a shelter against intruders. In this case, the children were trying to keep the sound of music away from a potentially angry recipient-a Misato floored from 2 vodkas. How she woke up through the lethargy-inducing buzz was anyone's guess. But as long as she was in the house, she was a threat. So the children closed the door behind them, crossing their fingers that what they played wouldn't seep through any cracks or holes.  
  
"Listen Shinji, you know we can't keep the volume down. Volume is an integral part of any musician's configuration. So…"  
  
She turned the volume to MAX.  
  
"This is my tribute to Peter Townshend."  
  
Shinji gasped. Wind-mill strum? An uber-loud down-stroke physically pushed him into the wall. What??? What kind of amplifier was she using?  
  
Asuka's fingers danced with the music as she shifted her hand down into the soul of the guitar-the high end of the fret-board. The guitar wailed as she bore down on the raging solo, striking the strings with a passion that surpassed comprehension. Stroke after stroke…riffs and rhythms melded into a beautiful whole.   
  
When she finished, Shinji was deaf. Her words inaudible, Shinji tried reading her lips. Apparently, she was saying something to the effect of:  
  
"Shinji, I can't hear you! Talk louder! Can you lip-read!?! BAKA! It's your turn! Play now! Yo mama! Love makes the wheel go round and round...President Clinton is not chronically diseased. Are you chronically diseased?" It took her about fifteen minutes to say that.  
  
Shinji responded with:  
  
"Okay." It took him about fifteen minutes, too.  
  
Taking center stage, he put his teeth to the guitar. Jimi Hendrix style, he thought. What shall I play? ….purple haze!  
  
Using his teeth as-  
  
Pop!  
  
Oh No! A missing tooth! It floated through the air in slow motion. With a deep, bass "NOOOOOO," Shinji reached for it. Both him and Asuka dived at the same instant. She caught the tooth, but Shinji tripped and fell. Asuka found something heavy on top of her. What was going on?  
  
Shinji was confused and disoriented. The grey ceiling of the garage faded to black.  
  
------------  
  
Shinji woke up under an unfamiliar ceiling, in a hard bed, and under gray sheets. Always gray sheets. Couldn't the folks at NERV afford anything better? OH well. At least he was warm. And the pain on the back of his head had subsided. But he was thirsty. Outside, he could hear Asuka arguing with "Wondergirl."   
  
"THAT is not how you assemble a V-48 transporter, Wondergirl! The screw goes there-no, not there, there! Geez, haven't you ever worked with screws before?"  
  
Shinji felt a bit excited, so he tried to distract himself with other thoughts. The problem was, he didn't have much to think about. He hadn't been doing anything for the past two months. He could think about the fate of mankind, but he didn't really care that much about it anymore.   
  
How about Pen-Pen? Ah, alas, Pen-Pen was one of the few remaining warm-water penguins to inhabit the earth. Poor fellow. He and Pen-Pen shared a common condition. He had passed by the fire-the fiery redhead, that is-and narrowly escaped premature death more times than he could care to count. Not many could boast of something like that. He prayed that Rei would fare equally well.   
  
Rei! If there was one person he had to protect from the raging red tornado of death, it was Rei. He tried to rush out of the unfamiliar-ceiling-room, but ended up tripping on the numerous cables and tubes linking him to some sort of medical machine. At that same exact moment, Asuka ran into to Shinji's room for her customary hourly check. What could have been an easily avoidable accident ended up with Shinji and Asuka lying spread-eagled on the floor, Shinji on top of Asuka. Shinji tried to get up, but he unexpectedly threw out his back.   
  
Asuka was pulling his hair and mumbling something. Her voice was so muffled, though, that it sounded far-off. Shinji couldn't see. Where was Asuka, anyway? What had he collided with? He felt a pain at the top of his head, but he wasn't quite sure what was causing it. As far as he could tell, his head was submerged in a sweet smelling, soft curtain of some kind. He felt as dizzy as ever. He shook his head and tried to take a look at the squirming ground. It was bright yellow, as bright as the sun. Was he dead?  
  
Had God understood his dreams and brought him this close to the sun? The ground squirmed again. Hold on-squirming ground?  
  
"BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"  
  
Shinji took a one-way flight to the first floor, courtesy of the red tornado.  
  
----------  
  
Back in the real world:  
  
Asuka struggled to get to her feet, but something was pressing against her. She tried to reach for the electric guitar, which was a mere three feet from her groping hands. Sliding along the floor, she inched closer and closer to her weapon. Stupid Shinji was heavy as a sack of potatoes. What did he think he was doing, anyway? That stupid Shinji. She wasn't even in the mood.   
  
Oh, that's it, she thought. He's sleep-acting. He'd done this before. Last time, he'd tried to use the rocking horse as a visceral Eva 01 to fight off the ceiling Angels. Why Misato hung Angels from the ceiling of her very own home was a mystery worthy of Ripley's investigation.  
  
This time, however, Shinji had grabbed hold of Asuka, and wouldn't let her go. Asuka pondered…and then concluded: So, he thinks that he's fighting some terrible monster or something. Although, I have no idea why he'd hug a monster this tightly. Must be a love-hate relationship. Maybe he fell in love with the kindergarten bully. Suddenly, she realized what she had to do. If he can't develop common sense, I'll have to knock it into him, she thought. Pulling herself half-free of his wrenching hug, she grabbed the guitar and quickly uttered the secret formula:  
  
"1…2…3…let's JAM!"  
  
A beautiful melody. A scream. A thud. Products of a fruitful night.  
  
Shinji remained jammed in the garage door until late morning.  
  
Then he went to the hospital.  
  
For real. 


	7. Hurricane

Chapter 8: Hurricane (dragon's fire)  
  
Shinji crawled out of bed in the early morning, aware that this was the first time in two weeks that he'd woken before Asuka. He'd actually won. Without a doubt, she'd be angry. But he had to prove that he could win at least some of the time.  
  
As usual, Misato had forced them into it.  
  
"It's a competition," she said. "Whoever wakes up earlier to play the guitar gets to play with Pen-pen in the afternoon. The other person gets to sit in front of the TV watching TLJKDFSNBV News." Knowing that whoever got the privilege of watching TLJKDFSNBV News for an entire afternoon would be screwed inside and out in every way imaginable, Shinji and Asuka vied desperately for the position of Misato's morning alarm. Pen-pen, who was half-nocturnal, kept a watch on them and poked them to make sure they fell asleep, but Shinji had the uneasy feeling that Asuka was either slipping "Penji" (as she called it) fresh midnight meat, or that she'd surgically installed an alarm clock in her body.  
  
But at the moment, he had other things on his mind. Bodily safety was his primary concern. He'd have to find and break that huge baseball bat she kept in her hidden stash.  
  
Aha. Asuka's room. Nearing the room, he shot a casual glance inside and found Asuka snoring and mumbling, as usual. Perhaps he could search for the bat. Then again…feeling along his face, he came upon a mark that reminded him of the sometimes dire consequences of intruding on a red-head's space.   
  
Well, at least I'm safe for now. I think I'll go contemplate the meaning of life before I lose it permanently.   
  
He shuffled downstairs and plopped himself on the couch. In his mind, he went over yesterday's conversation.  
  
"Make me my eggs!" Asuka shrieked.  
  
"Dangit! I burned it again!" Shinji yelled desperately.  
  
"That's your problem, not mine!"  
  
Monster transformation: 45% complete.  
  
"Why can't they make eggs sturdier nowadays?" Shinji grumbled as he turned the fire from medium to maximum. "And easier to cook? It's taking me months to make this thing!"  
  
Waddle waddle.   
  
"What the?"'  
  
Waddle waddle.  
  
"Ah, Pen-pen, how are you doing this morning?  
  
"Eeeeeek!"   
  
"I take it that's a 'very well, thank you," Shinji said. Both of them laughed.  
  
Monster catalyst: extinguished.  
  
Interrupting the cheerful scene, Rei came in.   
  
"Umm…Shinji, isn't it my turn to cook?" she said courteously.  
  
Shinji turned around, startled.   
  
"Oh, great. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Oh no, keep making those eggs. They'll go well with the Korean barbeque," Rei said pleasantly.  
  
Shinji fell to the floor. "K-Korean…bar-"  
  
"WHAAAAAA?? Here? In Japan???" Asuka hadn't drooled in the Katsuragi residence since she had first walked in on Shinji in the process of renewing his boxers.  
  
"How did you do that?" Asuka demanded.  
  
"I…know how to cook. And I stole the neighbor's cow."  
  
"Wow," Shinji muttered. "Super-cook."  
  
"Wow…….Who are you, anyway?" Asuka pressed further, jabbing her index finger into Rei's stomach.  
  
"I….am I."  
  
Asuka whistled.   
  
"Wow. We should make that into a song."  
  
Shinji nodded his head enthusiastically. Things were really coming together for the band. He and Asuka were jelling, and although he would have preferred it in the literal sense, he had to settle for the figurative–at least for now. And Rei-she was a frickin' genius.  
  
"WHOOOOOOO!!!!!"   
  
Misato and her beer. She leaned down and petted Pen-pen.  
  
"How's my little Penny-pen doing this morning. AWWW aren't you cute…make that face again. No, not that one, the other one. No, no, the…never mind."   
  
She set the beer down on the table and turned to face the children.   
  
"What's for breakfast, my fair-faced slaves?"  
  
Shinji looked at her in shock. What did she call them?  
  
Asuka suddenly became indignant. "Just because you can make us wake up at four in the morning does not make us your slaves. It makes us your machines!"  
  
Misato froze in her spot.  
  
"Hey, if you feel raw about anything, you can challenge me on guitar anytime. But then again, you might not want to engage in anything un-frivolous today, because today is…guess what-your birthday!!!"  
  
Asuka stumbled two full meters back. She couldn't believe it.  
  
"You….you…. Remembered??"  
  
"Yes. Penny Pen here had to whack me on the head and drag me to the calendar, but technically, I remembered. Which means you can forgive me now."  
  
Asuka sighed. "Fine. I…forgive you. For now."  
  
"Dangit. Stupid technicalities."  
  
Shinji and Rei observed the whole scene with amusement. Asuka and Misato often chafed over little issues, but the observers couldn't help noting how cute they looked arguing. They didn't look sincerely mad all. Just mock-angry. Perhaps Asuka was beginning to fit into the daughter role, and Misato assume the Mother's. Only in a relationship that close could two people argue constantly and still look to each other's welfare.  
  
"Umm…" Misato began. "What's for breakfast again?"  
  
"Korean Barbeque," Shinji answered quickly.   
  
"And what are we drinking?"  
  
"Well, I hope it's not your dirty beer, because-"  
  
"Coffee!!!" Misato yelled, cutting off Asuka. "I'm actually tired of-"  
  
"Because we wouldn't want to end up like the dirty kind of freak you are-"  
  
"Oh, so you resent me, is that it? Do you wanna fight, huh?"  
  
Asuka looked down at the table. "I'm too tired to."  
  
Misato yawned. "Actually, me too. Let's make this up sometime."  
  
"Agreed," Asuka said.  
  
After breakfast, the members went to separate rooms and practiced their instruments. Shinji was about to plug in his bass when Misato came in his room.   
  
"Uh…what is it?"  
  
"Well, Shinji, we need to talk."  
  
She beckoned for him to follow her out into the corridor.   
  
"Of course you know Asuka's birthday is today. The thing is, you won this morning. I don't want her to be watching the stupid news all afternoon, so you're going to give her this."  
  
Misato flicked her hand, and instantly there appeared two tickets to asgdljkdfbvn band. Practically the most intense band of the decade. They played in perfect unison. Their bass/guitar melodies were seamless. Shinji started drooling. Hyperventilating.   
  
Misato slapped him.  
  
"Stop that, or you'll give our surprise away. Now, when Asuka comes down to watch the TV, you'll have to intercept her with our little surprise. Okay?"  
  
Shiinji nodded.  
  
He waited in the living room, plucking his bass and falling into an occasional bored doze.   
  
Asuka surprised him when he walked in. She grabbed his bass and inspected it.  
  
"So, Shinji, what do think about this G&L bass? It's a jazz bass. Real low action and maple neck. You could play it in your sleep. Smooth and easy. Don't you wish all women were that way?"  
  
"I dunno. What? Where…oh yea. Sorry. I'm a bit sleepy. Hey, um, I need to do something…can you turn around?"  
  
She giggled. Turning around, she watched the report and mimicked the reporter.  
  
……  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"Hold on…"  
  
"Hey, there's no music practice today. Want to go shopping, Shinji?"  
  
He faltered. "I wish…"  
  
"Wish?"  
  
"I wish I had enough money."  
  
"I think we'd be happier without it. It's just a distraction. Can I turn around?"  
  
"No."  
  
Whistle, whistle.   
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"I'm still not done."  
  
….  
  
"Okay, now!"  
  
"Oh lord, Shinji."  
  
She was red in the face.  
  
"Happy birthday, Asuka!"  
  
The car ride to the concert was unusually pleasant. And peaceful.  
  
A blur. Motion and poetry. They returned flustered and joyful. Misato had actually waited for them in the parking lot.   
  
"It was a decent concert," she said.  
  
This was their first concert. How THEY could ever play that way, they didn't dare contemplate.   
  
Rei greeted them at the door. She stood there simply with a complacent smile.  
  
"Congratulations on your first concert," she said.  
  
They all smiled.  
  
Shinji and Asuka began the passage upstairs, but suddenly Misato yelled out: "Hold on a minute!"  
  
They paused.  
  
"You guys forgot to practice! Since you skipped evening practice, it's time for early morning practice!"  
  
Asuka reeled.  
  
"Oh great…" Shinji said. He'd better have nice dreams after this one. 


	8. Zephyr

"Winds of fire light the soul." – Buician proverb  
  
Chapter 7: Zephyr (slow red fire)  
  
The Eagles - One of these nights (perhaps you should listen to this while reading)  
  
----------  
  
He suddenly realized that he didn't want to find her. Perhaps she was the kind of person more real in a dream, someone whose tangible existence he didn't want to acknowledge. It wasn't that he disliked her. If she were far away from him, he could love her forever. He didn't want to look for her a thousand times, only to find out that she was imperfect.   
  
He played his cello when she asked him to, and she yelled at him when he made a stupid mistake. What exactly did she mean to him, anyway?   
  
----------  
  
The blue sky matches his eyes perfectly, she thought. She stood at the window. A serene wind blew through the apartment and lifted her hair, twirling the individual strands. No one knows. He doesn't even know. She looked down at her palms. She was almost ashamed of how she treated him. Almost. We hurt the ones we love-she knew that perfectly well. But could she ever express-  
  
----------  
  
"Coffee!" yelled Misato.  
  
-----------  
  
"Eeeeeek!"   
  
Pen-pen.  
  
-----------  
  
"I am I."  
  
Rei.  
  
-----------  
  
"Listen, it's a fresh day. Good sunshine outside. Go do something. I need to go to the back-doctor to get my back-brace checked soon, but I advise that everyone seeing this do something fun today. Find that lost friend. Go on a date. Do something. It's a day for fun, for activity. And, most importantly of all, tell that someone you love them."   
  
NJFDSjdfgmxdb News. I'll be back.  
  
------------  
  
-Morning, as experienced by each of the individual members of the Katsuragi household.  
  
-----------  
  
"One of these dreams…one of these lost and lonely dreams…"  
  
"So, Shinji, what do think about this G&L bass? It's a jazz bass. Real low action and maple neck. You could play it in your sleep. Smooth and easy. Don't you wish all women were that way?"  
  
"I dunno. I wish I…Can you turn around?"  
  
She giggled. Turning around, she watched the report and mimicked the reporter.  
  
……  
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"Hold on…"  
  
"Hey, there's no music practice today. Want to go shopping, Shinji?"  
  
He faltered. "I wish…"  
  
"Wish?"  
  
"I wish I had enough money."  
  
"I think we'd be happier without it. It's just a distraction. Can I turn around?"  
  
"No."  
  
Whistle, whistle.   
  
"Shinji?"  
  
"I'm still not done."  
  
….  
  
"Okay, now!"  
  
"Oh lord, Shinji."  
  
She was red in the face.  
  
"Happy birthday, Asuka!"  
  
--------  
  
"I've been searching for the daughter of the devil himself,  
  
I've been searching for an angel in white…"  
  
Shinji: "How do you like your eggs in the morning?"  
  
Asuka: "Guess."  
  
Shinji: "I don't know."  
  
"You're so brainless, Shinji. Try to conceive."  
  
"I…can't."  
  
"Try harder!"  
  
"I dunno-"  
  
"Harder!"  
  
"Asuka, stop screaming. The neighbors are going to wander what's wrong with us."  
  
"I don't mind."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Asuka."  
  
"So the great chef, Shinji, has come here to prepare my eggs, but he can't even conceive. Stupid Baka."  
  
----------  
  
"Oooh, loneliness will find you, in between the wrong and the right…"  
  
There was little to nothing in the void. Just a soft muttering. She opened her eyes. His breathing came to her through the wall that separated their rooms. She had snapped at him during dinner, and refused to sleep next to him in the living room, as was the custom. They had both retired to their individual rooms. She sighed. She was tired, but sleep wouldn't come. Outside, the night animals were wide awake. Then again, no crickets tonight. And the shooting stars…Misato had decorated the ceiling well. He was deep asleep. Stupid Baka…  
  
Why was she like that to him? Perhaps she should apologize…  
  
She lifted the covers to her bed. A nightlight illuminated the far side of the room, and she squinted at the dim clock. 2 AM. She went to the closet and grabbed her classical.   
  
*Squeak*  
  
  
  
Shinji lay in his sleep, mumbling.   
  
"Dad? Dad? No…I don't want to…"  
  
He felt a soft hand on his shoulder, nudging him with insistence.   
  
"Wake up…wake up!" she hissed.  
  
"Okay, okay."   
  
He lifted his head and saw red. He knew, unmistakably, who it was.   
  
"Hey, Asuka…" he groaned.   
  
"Hey, do you wanna play?"  
  
He sat bolt upright. Was this sounding familiar or what? Or maybe it was a multi-layered dream. He pinched himself. Great…  
  
"Yea, sure. Play what?"  
  
"Just…music. I can't sleep. I think…something soft and nice. Haven't you ever wanted to play at night?"  
  
He thought for a moment. "Actually, I've wanted to for quite a while."  
  
Asuka plopped down on a floor cushion and plucked an A minor chord. Shinji walked over to the closet, pulling out his acoustic.   
  
"So…wanna jam?"  
  
"Yea…absolutely, baby."  
  
"1…2…3... hit it!"  
  
"One of these crazy, crazy, crazy nights…"  
  
Asuka mingled her voice in the chords. All the strains uplifted her, the arpeggios just like petals of chocolate…falling sweetly, one by one, into the ear as the night stood still, the two lying on the floor, time pausing, allowing the two to lose themselves in indescribable dreams. 


End file.
